


Something to Make You Smile Again

by Scarlette890



Series: Walking Backwards [3]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Big Brother Uchiha Itachi, Cis Naruto, M/M, Trans Male Character, Trans Uchiha Sasuke, Uchiha Itachi Being a Good Brother, Uchiha Sasuke Being an Asshole, Uzumaki Naruto Needs a Hug, male/male relationship
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-10
Updated: 2021-03-10
Packaged: 2021-03-16 20:20:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,163
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29955351
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Scarlette890/pseuds/Scarlette890
Summary: Naruto's been down for a while, and definitely hasn't been communicating well. If he wants to make a long-term relationship work, Sasuke makes sure to let him know some things that need to happen
Relationships: Hoshigaki Kisame/Uchiha Itachi, Uchiha Sasuke/Uzumaki Naruto
Series: Walking Backwards [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2055720
Comments: 2
Kudos: 22





	Something to Make You Smile Again

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys, I'm back! Again, late, with another part to this story. Thank you all for reading!

Sasuke had long been passed out, one leg tossed over Naruto’s hip with the blanket tossed over his chest. The Uzumaki was buried under the half of the comforter that Sasuke didn’t want with his socks peeled off his feet and thrown somewhere on the floor.

It was hot. The middle of summer in the heart of Japan with the AC broken in Naruto’s stepparents house? Sweltering.

Sasuke certainly wasn’t helping, with his limbs thrown over Naruto with his nose stuck in his neck while his breath formed droplets of sweat that glided down Naruto’s neck.

Naruto wasn’t upset though. Wasn’t upset at Sasuke, anyway.

He glanced over to his desk, and grimaced again at the test with a large 62% circled and a too cheery “Try harder next time!” from his teacher. He groaned, then wrapped an arm around Sasuke’s shoulders.

It had been a pretty sucky week so far.

He’d failed three tests, (almost four), and had missed the skype call with Neji that everyone else in the group had joined. His stepparents had broken the news to him that they would be trying to find a new set of guardians for him, too. However, since he was going to be 18 in only a few weeks, he’d rejected the idea and said he would be moving in with a friend. Kiba would probably take him in. He and Sasuke had fought over the dumbest shit, thankfully having made up, but it still sucked.

Naruto groaned and tucked Sasuke further into his chest, watching the Uchiha grunt at him and squeeze closer. While that normally would have made him smile, it didn’t now.

Life was just hard. To know that nobody in the world wanted him as their kid. To realize that no matter how hard he worked, he would still fail his tests and then he wouldn’t have time for his friends because of all his stolen time.

Time… what time was it? He glanced over at the clock. Nearly three in the morning. Damn.

Deciding the stifling blankets and the stuffy air and Sasuke’s clinginess were doing nothing to make him sleepy. Grunting, he pulled away and watched Sasuke fall down a bit, then feel around the sheets for him. In his sleepy state, he just grumbled a bit and curled up, kicking off the blankets and dropping back off to sleep in seconds.

Naruto snorted.

Walking downstairs, he sidestepped the dozy cat and headed to the kitchen. He could easily say he knew the Uchiha’s house like the back of his hand, but he honestly had no idea what the back of his hand looked like. It was remotely the same color as the rest of him and probably had a freckle on it, but that was about the extent of his knowledge.

He clicked on the light, and nearly screamed at what he saw. Itachi was lounging on one of the countertops with a heaping spoonful of ice-cream headed straight to his mouth. He was shirtless, wearing drawstring sweatpants and a guilty look on his face.

Naruto swallowed.

“Uh…”

Itachi cleared his throat.

“Um…”

Itachi glanced down at the carton, then back up at Naruto. He shrugged and dug another spoon out of the drawer beside him. Offering it to Naruto, he scooched over on the counter and made space, patting the spot beside him.

“Want some? It’s double chocolate chip something.”

Naruto hopped up and accepted the offered spoon, but looked doubtfully at the ice cream. “Isn’t this Sasuke’s?”

“He’s not eating it,” Itachi answered nonchalantly, popping another bite in his mouth. “And he eats ice cream too slowly to assume that somebody isn’t going to steal it.”

“That’s probably true.” He stabbed the spoon into the ice cream and twirled his tongue around it. “So what are you doing up?”

Itachi licked his spoon and stuck it back into the half-empty carton. “Kisame is hot. The blankets are hot. The bedroom is hot.” Gesturing to the ice cream, he added, “And ice cream isn’t hot. Ergo, I sit in the kitchen and eat this.”

Naruto hummed, nodding. “Makes sense.”

They sat in silence for a bit, until Itachi glanced over at him. “What about you?”

Ah, the dreaded question: Why the hell Naruto was so miserable. Just the average, shitty week, shitty people, shitty parents, and the like. He didn’t tell Itachi that though.

“Sasuke and I had a little fight and I’m stupid.”

Itachi glanced briefly over at him and popped his ice cream into his mouth. “You aren’t stupid, Naruto. Why would you say that?”

The Uzumaki stabbed his spoon more violently than he should have into the carton. “I failed like four tests this week,” he muttered, admittedly bitter. “Even though I studied my ass off for ‘em.”

Itachi hummed. “A few failed tests does not an idiot make,” he said. “I’m sure you were stressed. And some people just aren’t good test takers. That might have been part of it.”

Naruto shrugged. “I dunno. Maybe.”

“What did you and Sasuke fight about?”

The blonde groaned and tipped his head back against the cabinet. “He says I’m spending too much time working and not enough time with him or my friends.” Defensive, he threw his hands in the air. “What am I supposed to do, fail more tests? And I have a job! I can’t just drop everything in my _senior year of high school_ just to hang out with my friends.”

Itachi glanced over at him with an arched brow. “This _is_ your last year with your closest friends.”

“Well yeah but it’s not like we’re never gonna see each other again. I don’t exactly plan on breaking up with him or losing all contact with my friends. I’m just focusing on making money and getting good grades, ya know? Plus, I’ve got some other stuff I’m working on and… he’s not really helping by constantly asking for attention.”

Itachi hummed. “That’s true. But if you completely focus on that and start ignoring your friends you won’t have many relationships left when you move on to the next chapter of your life.”

Naruto groaned and pressed his palms to his eyes. “There’s not really a good balance though. Between friends and work and school.”

Itachi nodded. “There can be.”

Naruto huffed and tossed his spoon in the sink. “I can’t think of anyway to figure that out.”

The oldest Uchiha glanced over at him and hopped down from the counter, placing his own spoon in the sink and taking the carton to the fridge. “Maybe try talking it out. Tell Sasuke you’re struggling. Relationships do take effort and a lot of communication.”

“He’s gonna think I’m stupid. It’s not a big deal.”

“You never thought he was stupid when he was struggling.”

Naruto’s eyes widened. “Of course not! He had an eating disorder and other stuff. That’s a big deal!”

“Neither of you have had easy lives,” Itachi said. “Yours might be different but it’s no less difficult.”

Naruto huffed, and Itachi patted him on the shoulder. “Talk it out. He’ll be understanding.” Then he went upstairs.

Naruto groaned and slid off the counter.

Sasuke was sitting up in confusion when Naruto walked in, the blankets bunched in a heap in his lap. He was only wearing one of Naruto’s thin t-shirts and a pair of boxers, but he was still sweaty and sleepy and rumpled. And cute.

“Nar’to?” he mumbled. “Wha’re you doing?”

“Hey,” Naruto whispered, sliding back into bed. “I was just getting a snack and Itachi happened to be downstairs so we talked for a little bit.”

Sasuke blinked, his large dark eyes sleepy and unfocused. “Oh.”

“Yeah.” Naruto slid his hand over his waist and pulled Sasuke against him. “What were you talking about?”

“I’ll tell you in the morning.”

“Mk.”

* * *

Morning came faster than Naruto would have liked, but there wasn’t much he could do about it. Sasuke woke up with rumpled hair and a scrunched nose, the blankets thrown to the floor and the fan whirring at full speed.

“Wake up,” he mumbled. “It’s morning.”

“I can see that,” Naruto said, stretching and sitting up. “Good morning.”

“Morning. What were you and Itachi talking about?”

Naruto ran a down Sasuke’s thigh and settled it on his knee. “Let’s talk over breakfast. I’ll cook.”

“Let’s talk now, actually,” Sasuke argued.

Naruto groaned and fell back into the sheets, snorting when Sasuke tossed a leg over his hip and straddled him. “What’re you doin’?” He planted a hand on Sasuke’s hip.

“Holding you down so you can tell me,” Sasuke snapped. “You’ve been weird all week and I wanna know why.”

“It’s just been a rough week.”

“And now I’m here to listen.” Sasuke crossed his arms and glared down at Naruto. “Talk.”

So, Naruto talked with Sasuke sitting astride his hips and glaring at him, his hair sticking every which way and a pout on his lips.

“I failed like, four tests yesterday.”

Sasuke frowned. “That can’t be the problem. You’ve been weird all _week_.”

“It’s not,” Naruto admitted. He ran a hand through his hair and looked away, not able to have Sasuke’s dark eyes boring into his while bared his soul. “I um… my foster parents…”

Sasuke bounced a little when he didn’t continue, looking curiously at him.

“Your foster parents…?” he prompted.

 _Don’t want me_. “They uh… they said they don’t really have any room for me in their new house so uh…” _they’re giving me back._ “So I told ‘em I’d move in with Kiba so I don’t have to go back to the agency.”

He was almost afraid to look up at Sasuke.

When he finally did, the Uchiha was staring at him with confused disbelief on his face. “I thought they were gonna adopt you,” he finally said, and Naruto nodded weakly.

“They didn’t really have the money or the room,” he mumbled. _Or the desire._ “Plus I’ll be 18 really soon so honestly it wouldn’t be worth the time, considering all the paperwork that has to be mailed in.”

Sasuke scrambled off him so Naruto could sit up, then lifted an arm and shoved Naruto against his chest. The blonde kissed his collarbone and wrapped his arms around Sasuke’s waist, breathing him in.

“Your foster parents are dumbasses,” he said flatly, and Naruto laughed against his skin. “I mean seriously, this is the worst mistake of their lives. Any person lucky enough to have you with them whenever they want should be the happiest damn person on the planet.” Sasuke was getting riled up now, his heart beating faster beneath Naruto’s cheek. The blonde focused on it, finding the unsteady beat grounding.

“It’s not a big deal, baby,” he said finally. “I’m gonna be fine.”

“It’s not _fine_ ,” Sasuke snapped, pulling Naruto closer to him. He felt slightly suffocated if he was being honest. “They’re the luckiest fucking people in the world and they don’t even know.”

Naruto pressed his face into the dip between Sasuke’s breasts, hoping it wasn’t making him uncomfortable. “It’s okay.”

“It’s not okay.”

“It’s fine, honey.”

“No, it’s really not,” Sasuke said. He brushed Naruto’s bangs out of his face. “I’m sorry I was a dick to you about how you were spending your time.”

“Nah, you were right about that,” Naruto said. “I can work on that.”

Sasuke hummed and ran his fingers through Naruto’s hair. He scratched his scalp and tugged on the golden strands, brushing his undercut back and forth.

Naruto pressed his face into Sasuke’s stomach. “It’s just… I don’t know what I keep doing?”

“You’re not doing anything wrong,” Sasuke told him quietly, rubbing his head. “You’re doing everything perfectly fine. People are just stupid.”

Naruto closed his eyes. “It just hurts.”

Sasuke hunched over and kissed his temple. “I love you.”

Naruto smiled and nuzzled him. “I love you too, babe.” _More than you’ll probably ever figure out_.

Sasuke tucked his hair behind his ears then tugged it back out, ruffling it and twirling it around his fingers.

“You’re hair’s so pretty,” he said quietly. “It’s so shiny. And I don’t understand why it’s so pretty because you certainly don’t take care of it.”

Ah, sarcastic Sasuke was back. “I dunno baby, I’m all natural,” he said, and snickered when Sasuke tugged cruelly on a chunk of hair.

Then, ever the perfectionist, he smoothed it back down. “Let’s go have breakfast,” he said, and Naruto nodded.

“Sounds good,” he agreed. He sat up and pecked Sasuke’s cheek, smiling when he turned pink and tried to rub the blush off his face.

The smell of pancakes was drifting upstairs, so clearly Kisame and Itachi were already up and eating. Naruto was feeling better now, honestly he was, so he pecked Sasuke’s cheek and headed to the stairs, laughing when Sasuke smacked his ass before grabbing a pair of shorts.

Everything was already turning out to be more than fine.


End file.
